COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State tight end Zak Herbstreit, the son of ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit, will be recovering for at least three to four months after being released from a hospital on Wednesday, according to his father.
Kirk went on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday where he provided an update on Zak's condition.
The former Buckeye told McAfee that Zak had a "set back" with his health on Friday. Zak was originally diagnosed with pneumonia because doctors believed they found fluid in his lungs, but an echocardiogram found "some issues with his heart." Kirk did not say what those issues were exactly.
Zak was released from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and is back home at his parents' house in Centerville, Ohio.
"Normally, you get out of the hospital and you're cured and everything is good," Kirk said. "He's in good spirits. He's home with us where his mom can take really good care of him. This is just going to be a long process to see how his heart responds to some of the medications he's on."
Kirk said they were able to go for a walk down street with their dogs this morning.
"We're at the beginning of this. We're going to be positive and it's a long haul and he's going to get better," Kirk said.
During Kirk's interview, he emphasized how important is for athletes to take care of their health and go beyond the routine physical examination.
"I really would encourage anybody who is playing sports to go a little bit more than just doing your normal physical," Kirk said. "The echo is what you really need to discover some things that could potentially be scary."
Zak joined Ohio State in 2021 as a walk-on and is in his second year with the team. His father and grandfather were each Ohio State football captains and his mother was an Ohio State cheerleader.
When playing Montgomery Bell Academy in Tennessee, Zak had four career touchdown receptions. He was named first-team all-region as a senior.
Montgomery Bell finished the 2020 season ranked No. 13 in Tennessee.